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Beach Vacation Memory Jar

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If there’s one thing I’ve learned about myself lately, it’s that I have no patience for complicated recipes or crafts. That’s why most of the recipes on my blog feature few ingredients or prep time and it’s why my cocktails can be easily replicated. No fuss, no mess, just sweet sips and simple fun. As for DIY, I prefer to not wait overnight for something to be ready or something that requires me to set aside time to craft in shifts. I like things that are unique, fun, and fast! So, when I received a kit from Plaid Crafts full of Mod Podge Collage Clay, I was a little intimidated. My fears slipped away when I realized that this was a project that not only I could do, but it was something that didn’t take a lot of time. Oh, and there was glitter, bright colors, and Florida seashells!

Vacation Memory Jar

The shells came in the form of a mold where I could create embellishments that could be painted or left as is. I instantly knew I was going to take some of the shell souvenirs we have around our home and actually DO something with them. Since we live in Florida, we have established a bit of a shell collection. They’re fun to collect, but I never know where to put them afterward. If you’re planning a Florida vacation or another seaside trip, use your finds to decorate your home. I love aqua and coastal decor, so shells are a natural fit. Also, it’s totally okay to “borrow” some sand from the beach. I once had a friend fly to Hawaii and bring back a suitcase of sand. I have no idea whatever happened to it, but Hawaii said was so different than Florida sand that I actually wanted some for a vase!

I’d love to share some of my favorite Florida shells with you and inspire you to use Mod Podge to create your own vacation jar.

Mod Podge Collage Clay DIY
My entire kit came with mod molds to create embellishments using Mod Melts (it’s made of durable, easy to use silicone), drizzle paint to add extra drama and dimension to designs, and collage clay which is a lightweight whipped clay great to use for Decoden, 3D Collage, Assemblage Arts, 3D Stenciling and more. You can find all of these products at Michael’s.

For my memory jar DIY, I could have used every single item I received. Yet, I ended up just using the molds, the drizzle paint, and the mod melts. As for my own supplies, I used a high temp mini glue gun, my own jars, sand (totally got this from the nearby beach!), and shells we found on past adventures.

Mod Podge Crafts
It was very simple to fill the molds with the mod melts. I used a mixture of glitter and opaque melts to create a variety of colors. I found that I preferred the blue and purple colors after a few rounds.

Modpodge Molds
And, believe it or not, it wasn’t that messy. This picture is a bit misleading since my camera captured every grain of glitter, but it was so simple! They also dried in about ten minutes.

After those ten minutes, you just pop them out of the molds. Voila! These little guys had a little “extra” material that I just trimmed away with scissors (and promised myself to be more careful with the next batch).

Mod Podge Collage Clay Plaid Craft

A pile of glittery sea embellishments!

Besides these little trinkets, I was going to mix in some of my own treasures that we found near the sea.

Florida shells

Lettered Olive Shells

Lettered Olive

Shark Eye Shell

Shark Eye

Lightning Whelk Shell

Lightning Whelk

Those three are some of the most popular shells here in Florida. We have others, like the Florida Fighting Conch, junonia, and our state shell, the Horse Conch, that are all beautiful as well. If you ever find a junonia, consider yourself lucky! They’re a rare find and a true treasure.

Seashell Vacation Jar
I used two jars for this project. I wanted a tall, narrower look for decor. I also wanted a fun fish tank just for display as well.

Modpodge Anchor Molds
I filled each container with Florida sand and added in a few of the pieces I made from the molds and the mold melts. I thought the nautical inspired embellishments looked great on their own, but you could add glitter, paint, or even some of the techniques that Plaid Crafts suggests.

DIY Vacation Shell Jar
DIY Memory JAr

Creating a vacation jar with sand, shells, and Mod Podge embellishments

Mod Podge Collage Clay Plaid Crafts
The last step? Add an octopus to the lid! You can take this DIY one step further and embellish the outside of the jars. The idea is to “decoden” with these items. Decoden is the art of decorating anything with trinkets, and “the more the merrier” is the name of the game in designing an over the top look in this 3D collage technique. Use Collage Clay with Mod Melts, trinkets, buttons, rhinestones, and anything else you can think of!

Vacation Memory Jar

Summer Kids’ Crafts and Activities

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Save Florida shells and sand to create an easy DIY vacation memory jar using Modpodge molds and collage clay!

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Comments

  1. Dionne Dean says

    I WISH that I was this creative. I see beautiful pieces like this all the time on Pinterest. When I try to attempt to make them, it turns into a pillar of sand and broken glass LOL Great ideas!

    Reply

  2. Jaime says

    I’m pinning this! We’re heading to the beach soon and I definitely want to collect seashells with my son. This is perfect!

    Reply

  7. lawna says

    This reminds me of something similar I did a couple months ago after visiting the beach. I made a decoration bowl though, and gathered everything from the beach including rocks, seashells, and sand.

    Reply

  11. Alli says

    Really cute and simple! I’m a big believer in keeping things simple most of the time. I collect shells from every beach we visit. Last year when we visited St. Maarten, I found the tiniest, cutest shells and I have them in a blue mason jar with the sand in the bottom.

    Reply

  12. Rosey says

    You get an A++ for being creative! I Love this post! And I’ve never seen Mod Podge before, but I’ve sure heard how great it is (and I believe it). Now I feel a little more in the know. 😉

    Reply

  15. Jennifer Williams says

    I wish I had seen this when I was living in Florida. I have no idea when we will get back to the beach. I will have to see if I can find molds that will fit our hiking now.

    Reply

  19. Theresa says

    I agree. Crafts and recipes need to have a decent time limit for completion, or I lose interest. I have a bunch of half started projects in my craft room that I need to find the desire to start working on again because they are so tedious!

    Reply

  22. Christina Shirley says

    This is really cute. I love the bright color options of making your own! We already have plans to make a shadow box frame this year with some sand and shells with pictures from this year’s vacation.

    Reply

  35. Pam says

    What a great craft idea. These are truly beautiful. I love those little molds and the colors really pop. I wish I was a bit more crafty. This is the motivation I need.

    Reply

  36. Angela S says

    This is such a sweet way to bring a little bit off the beach home with you. Great job on this project!

    Reply

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